Pride Month Video Recs 4.03
Here is lena3's intro Pride Post; here's mine.
Check out Lena's recs from June 7th and June 14th
Here are mine from June 5th and June 12th
This week's recs:
WERE THE WORLD MINE (2008)
Seen through Timothy's eyes, the world is a pretty sucky place: he lives in a tiny town in rural Illinois; his divorced, single mom, Donna (Judy McLane) is overworked and stressed out; and he's the token out queer at Morgan Hill Academy, the exclusive all-boys school that his mother insisted he attend. Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is the target of the expected teasing and harassment from his classmates, which, for the most part, he takes in stride.
Timothy finds comfort in the company of his best friends, Max (Ricky Goldman) and Frankie (Zelda Williams) and the fact that he's a senior and will soon graduate and leave Kingston far behind. Timothy sometimes passes class time by fantasizing about the captain of Morgan Hill's rugby team, Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker), who's clearly, well, straight. Maybe. Probably.
Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie), Morgan Hills most eccentric instructor, announces that the senior play will be Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and that ALL seniors must participate. Ms. Tebbit also insists that the play be presented in the best Elizabethan tradition, with the female parts being filled by the all male members of the senior class.
Timothy auditions as required, and Ms. Tebbit coaxes an amazing performance: Timothy can sing, and very well at that. He's awarded the role of Puck, and Ms. Tebbit gives him a vintage copy of the play to study (while everyone else receives new printings).
Ms. Tebbit lavishes attention on Timothy, offering arcane advice on how best to interpret the sometimes confusing dialogue. While struggling with a particularly difficult passage one night, Timothy discovers that his copy of the play actually contains the recipe for Cupid's Love Juice. He dutifully follows the instructions, to no effect. Studying his play book once more, he finds a single word printed amidst a series of blank pages:
"Sing."
He then finds himself to be in possession of the purple love flower from the play, and has the power to make anyone love the next person he or she sees. Of course Timothy uses the flower, seemingly with the full knowledge and approval of Ms. Tebbit, who seems to have some mysterious agenda as well as the ability to subtly sway the townspeople to her bidding with mere words.
Soon things begin to spiral out of control, but now that most of Kingston sees the world as Timothy does, it isn't such a bad thing. Or is it? Love conquers all, and who cannot be irrevocably changed once they've experienced it? Is free will REALLY that important when weighed against being awash with true, unadulterated love?
Such is the tale that director / producer / writer Tom Gustafson spins, replete with full moons, flowing robes, lame gym shorts and just the right amount of wistful mysticism. Cohen performs admirably as Timothy, who's given the power to obtain what he's always wanted. Other stand-outs in the young cast include Becker as Jonathon and Williams (as in Robin Williams' daughter) as Frankie. Robie has a blast as the determined Ms. Tebbit, who is the film's 'real' Puck, assisting to transform the town through the experience of love. Christian Stolte, as the initially homophobic Coach Driscoll, is humourously noteworthy as well.
The musical numbers are nicely done and fun to watch, and if one could find any fault, it's that the production budget weren't a bit higher. No matter, as the quality of the music and lyrics, in addition to the spirited performances, more than make up for any theorized lack of funds.
So offer up your hands and let these performers know that you're friends...
WOLFIE RATING: 4.87 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 2.83 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 3.64 out of 5
BEFORE NIGHT FALLS (2000)
The all-too short and tragic life of openly queer Cuban poet/writer Reinaldo Arenas is the engrossing subject of Julian Schnabel's film based on Arenas' autobiography of the same name.
Born in rural Cuba in 1943, Arenas was raised by his single mother, and surrounded by a "group of unhappy women." As a young teen, Arenas' grandfather moved the entire extended family to the nearest city, Holguin, which Arenas describes as having a population of 200,000 and 1 garbage truck. At 16, Arenas left home to join the revolutionary forces battling the US installed Batista government; days later, the Castro-led rebels succeeded in expelling the unpopular regime.
Arenas settled in Havana in 1963, enrolling in university and securing a position at the National Library. His writings received some note and a few awards, but the increasingly repressive Castro government effectively prevented Arenas from being published.
He continued his writings, through the early '70's. Arrested on false corruption of minors charges in 1973, Arenas escaped from a holding cell and attempted to travel to Florida by innertube, which failed. He then went into hiding, living in Havana's Lenin Park for some time before being re-captured by the police.
Arenas then spent two years in prison, alongside murderers and rapists, surviving only because of his ability to write letters for the other prisoners. He also continued to write his poetry and novels, utilizing and extremely bizarre method to smuggle his manuscripts out of the prison.
Arenas was severely punished and tortured for this and forced to renounce his work publicly. He was released from prison in 1976 and made several attempts to leave Cuba, all unsuccessful. Arenas finally made it to the US in 1980, where he continued to write and speak out against the Cuban government.
He committed suicide in New York City in 1990, gravely ill after being diagnosed with HIV three years earlier.
Schnabel imbues his film with Arenas' own words, his thoughts, and his prose, and the result is mesmerizing. Arenas' queer awakening amidst the initial joy and celebrations of the successful revolution turns quickly to surprise, despair and finally fear. While never accepted by the new Castro government, queers were initially ignored and allowed some semblence of open lives. By the '70's, however, the government had declared homosexuality to be inconsistent with the new order. But despite the constant obstacles and unbelievably harsh conditions, Arenas refused to give up on his work and his dreams.
Javier Bardem is spectacular as Arenas, and his performance garnered him an Oscar nomination. And yes, Johnny Depp appears in two small (but notable) roles, as do Sean Penn and Diego Luna.
WOLFIE RATING: 4.77 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 2.37 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 3.00 out of 5
THE LIVING END (1992)
Director Gregg Araki purposely set out to ruffle feathers with his "irresponsible" commentary on the AIDS crisis in the early '90's.
Jon is a quiet, nerdy queer who spends his time in his tiny L.A. apartment writing record and movie reviews for underground magazines and listening to his huge collection of CDs. Recently dumped by his latest boyfriend, Jon spent days doing nothing but wallowing in the entire catalog of THE SMITHS, much to the chagrin of his best friend Darcy.
Jon receives the shock of his life when routine testing reveals that he is HIV positive. While he's contemplating his vastly altered prospects, Jon picks up an extremely hunky hitchiker named Luke.
Luke insinuates himself into what's left of Jon's life, and while the two men are almost polar opposites, they do share one important detail: Luke is HIV positive, too.
Lacking any real direction (and backbone, at times), Jon follows Luke on a journey into anarchy, which at times lifts him into the heavens before regular tumbles into the depths.
Araki wrote, produced and directed his dark comic diatribe against the HIV establishment for a mere $20,000, and it shows, which isn't a problem. The gritty visuals of the film match its tone nicely. (The re-mastered DVD release cleans up the audio and video considerably) The performances are similarly low-budget, and the entire affair is wonderfully reminiscent of any number of John Waters films, as well as another seminal counter-culture film, Alex Cox's 1984 punk extravaganza, REPO MAN.
Luke's "fuck everything and everyone" attitude is frightening, yet valid. An HIV diagnosis in 1992 was still pretty much a death sentence, and since the AIDS epidemic had been in progress for a decade, Luke's rage is perfectly in context.
At one point on their run through the southwest, Luke suggests that he and Jon travel to Washington, DC and inject the President with a vial of their HIV infected blood. "Betcha they'd find a magic cure in like twenty-four hours," Luke snorts as Jon nods in agreement.
Yeah, I bet they would, indeed.
WOLFIE RATING: 3.49 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 4.21 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 1.88 out of 5
Check out Lena's recs from June 7th and June 14th
Here are mine from June 5th and June 12th
This week's recs:
WERE THE WORLD MINE (2008)
Seen through Timothy's eyes, the world is a pretty sucky place: he lives in a tiny town in rural Illinois; his divorced, single mom, Donna (Judy McLane) is overworked and stressed out; and he's the token out queer at Morgan Hill Academy, the exclusive all-boys school that his mother insisted he attend. Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is the target of the expected teasing and harassment from his classmates, which, for the most part, he takes in stride.
Timothy finds comfort in the company of his best friends, Max (Ricky Goldman) and Frankie (Zelda Williams) and the fact that he's a senior and will soon graduate and leave Kingston far behind. Timothy sometimes passes class time by fantasizing about the captain of Morgan Hill's rugby team, Jonathan (Nathaniel David Becker), who's clearly, well, straight. Maybe. Probably.
Ms. Tebbit (Wendy Robie), Morgan Hills most eccentric instructor, announces that the senior play will be Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and that ALL seniors must participate. Ms. Tebbit also insists that the play be presented in the best Elizabethan tradition, with the female parts being filled by the all male members of the senior class.
Timothy auditions as required, and Ms. Tebbit coaxes an amazing performance: Timothy can sing, and very well at that. He's awarded the role of Puck, and Ms. Tebbit gives him a vintage copy of the play to study (while everyone else receives new printings).
Ms. Tebbit lavishes attention on Timothy, offering arcane advice on how best to interpret the sometimes confusing dialogue. While struggling with a particularly difficult passage one night, Timothy discovers that his copy of the play actually contains the recipe for Cupid's Love Juice. He dutifully follows the instructions, to no effect. Studying his play book once more, he finds a single word printed amidst a series of blank pages:
"Sing."
He then finds himself to be in possession of the purple love flower from the play, and has the power to make anyone love the next person he or she sees. Of course Timothy uses the flower, seemingly with the full knowledge and approval of Ms. Tebbit, who seems to have some mysterious agenda as well as the ability to subtly sway the townspeople to her bidding with mere words.
Soon things begin to spiral out of control, but now that most of Kingston sees the world as Timothy does, it isn't such a bad thing. Or is it? Love conquers all, and who cannot be irrevocably changed once they've experienced it? Is free will REALLY that important when weighed against being awash with true, unadulterated love?
Such is the tale that director / producer / writer Tom Gustafson spins, replete with full moons, flowing robes, lame gym shorts and just the right amount of wistful mysticism. Cohen performs admirably as Timothy, who's given the power to obtain what he's always wanted. Other stand-outs in the young cast include Becker as Jonathon and Williams (as in Robin Williams' daughter) as Frankie. Robie has a blast as the determined Ms. Tebbit, who is the film's 'real' Puck, assisting to transform the town through the experience of love. Christian Stolte, as the initially homophobic Coach Driscoll, is humourously noteworthy as well.
The musical numbers are nicely done and fun to watch, and if one could find any fault, it's that the production budget weren't a bit higher. No matter, as the quality of the music and lyrics, in addition to the spirited performances, more than make up for any theorized lack of funds.
So offer up your hands and let these performers know that you're friends...
WOLFIE RATING: 4.87 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 2.83 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 3.64 out of 5
Click to viewBEFORE NIGHT FALLS (2000)
The all-too short and tragic life of openly queer Cuban poet/writer Reinaldo Arenas is the engrossing subject of Julian Schnabel's film based on Arenas' autobiography of the same name.
Born in rural Cuba in 1943, Arenas was raised by his single mother, and surrounded by a "group of unhappy women." As a young teen, Arenas' grandfather moved the entire extended family to the nearest city, Holguin, which Arenas describes as having a population of 200,000 and 1 garbage truck. At 16, Arenas left home to join the revolutionary forces battling the US installed Batista government; days later, the Castro-led rebels succeeded in expelling the unpopular regime.
Arenas settled in Havana in 1963, enrolling in university and securing a position at the National Library. His writings received some note and a few awards, but the increasingly repressive Castro government effectively prevented Arenas from being published.
He continued his writings, through the early '70's. Arrested on false corruption of minors charges in 1973, Arenas escaped from a holding cell and attempted to travel to Florida by innertube, which failed. He then went into hiding, living in Havana's Lenin Park for some time before being re-captured by the police.
Arenas then spent two years in prison, alongside murderers and rapists, surviving only because of his ability to write letters for the other prisoners. He also continued to write his poetry and novels, utilizing and extremely bizarre method to smuggle his manuscripts out of the prison.
Arenas was severely punished and tortured for this and forced to renounce his work publicly. He was released from prison in 1976 and made several attempts to leave Cuba, all unsuccessful. Arenas finally made it to the US in 1980, where he continued to write and speak out against the Cuban government.
He committed suicide in New York City in 1990, gravely ill after being diagnosed with HIV three years earlier.
Schnabel imbues his film with Arenas' own words, his thoughts, and his prose, and the result is mesmerizing. Arenas' queer awakening amidst the initial joy and celebrations of the successful revolution turns quickly to surprise, despair and finally fear. While never accepted by the new Castro government, queers were initially ignored and allowed some semblence of open lives. By the '70's, however, the government had declared homosexuality to be inconsistent with the new order. But despite the constant obstacles and unbelievably harsh conditions, Arenas refused to give up on his work and his dreams.
Javier Bardem is spectacular as Arenas, and his performance garnered him an Oscar nomination. And yes, Johnny Depp appears in two small (but notable) roles, as do Sean Penn and Diego Luna.
WOLFIE RATING: 4.77 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 2.37 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 3.00 out of 5
THE LIVING END (1992)
Director Gregg Araki purposely set out to ruffle feathers with his "irresponsible" commentary on the AIDS crisis in the early '90's.
Jon is a quiet, nerdy queer who spends his time in his tiny L.A. apartment writing record and movie reviews for underground magazines and listening to his huge collection of CDs. Recently dumped by his latest boyfriend, Jon spent days doing nothing but wallowing in the entire catalog of THE SMITHS, much to the chagrin of his best friend Darcy.
Jon receives the shock of his life when routine testing reveals that he is HIV positive. While he's contemplating his vastly altered prospects, Jon picks up an extremely hunky hitchiker named Luke.
Luke insinuates himself into what's left of Jon's life, and while the two men are almost polar opposites, they do share one important detail: Luke is HIV positive, too.
Lacking any real direction (and backbone, at times), Jon follows Luke on a journey into anarchy, which at times lifts him into the heavens before regular tumbles into the depths.
Araki wrote, produced and directed his dark comic diatribe against the HIV establishment for a mere $20,000, and it shows, which isn't a problem. The gritty visuals of the film match its tone nicely. (The re-mastered DVD release cleans up the audio and video considerably) The performances are similarly low-budget, and the entire affair is wonderfully reminiscent of any number of John Waters films, as well as another seminal counter-culture film, Alex Cox's 1984 punk extravaganza, REPO MAN.
Luke's "fuck everything and everyone" attitude is frightening, yet valid. An HIV diagnosis in 1992 was still pretty much a death sentence, and since the AIDS epidemic had been in progress for a decade, Luke's rage is perfectly in context.
At one point on their run through the southwest, Luke suggests that he and Jon travel to Washington, DC and inject the President with a vial of their HIV infected blood. "Betcha they'd find a magic cure in like twenty-four hours," Luke snorts as Jon nods in agreement.
Yeah, I bet they would, indeed.
WOLFIE RATING: 3.49 out of 5
SKIN FACTOR: 4.21 out of 5
MOM-A-BILITY: 1.88 out of 5